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Wearing salwar-suits, Indian mother takes to international WWE ring (IANS Special Series)
By Jaideep Sarin
Jalandhar (Punjab), May 6 (IANS) WWE fights may be flashy, hard and violent at times but the first Indian woman to get into that ring at the international level has beaten bigger odds at home to reach there.
Kavita Devi, who is better known in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) international circles as “Hard KD”, is currently training and wrestling in Orlando, Florida, in the United States as part of her three-year contract with the WWE.
Kavita, the first Indian woman to reach the international level in WWE, is no ordinary sportswoman.
Even while being a professional WWE wrestler, Kavita is making sure that she dresses traditionally, the Indian way. When she fights in the ring, she is always dressed in a salwar-kameez, a popular dress for Indian women.
“I am proud that I enter the ring wearing a salwar suit. It is part of our Indian culture. I am the only one at the international level (in WWE) to be doing so. Many girls in India avoid getting into WWE wrestling seeing the clothes that most women in this sport wear inside the ring. I have broken that image and more girls in my country are getting inspired,” Kavita told IANS in an interview, pointing out that wearing the salwar-suit was no impediment in her performance in the ring.
Being married in a conventional family in 2009 and mother of a six-year-old son, Kavita has tackled several odds, including coming from a humble farming background, growing up among five siblings and facing difficult times economically.
Hailing from Malvi village in Haryana’s Jind district, this determined Haryanvi Jat girl is out to prove her mettle in WWE circles.
She is full of praise for her mentors — “The Great Khali” (Dalip Singh Rana) and Jinder Mahal, both former WWE champions.
“Khali sir got me to the (WWE) ring. He has a big contribution in shaping my career. Jinder Mahal is a big star in WWE. He has earned a big name for India at the international level,” said Kavita, who has trained in Khali’s wrestling academy in Jalandhar.
Kavita, 34, who had been wrestling for over 15 years before switching to WWE (in 2016), won a gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games for India.
Weighing 75-kgs and standing 5-feet 9-inches tall, Kavita has been part of the Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE) and participated in the Mae Young Classic WWE championship event in Florida in June 2017 — the first Indian woman in this professional circuit.
Even though she is fully focused on her training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and her upcoming fights, Kavita misses her son whom she had to leave behind in India.
“I had never thought of entering WWE. I was only interested in wrestling. But I wanted to do something different. This is a very good field that I have found. Here, I can do a lot for our country. I have reached this level after going through very hard times and tough training and testing,” Kavita said.
Asked if the WWE is a real fight or just an entertainment show, Kavita said: “WWE has the word entertainment in it but let me tell you that the fight is real. The athletes make big jumps, hit each other and get hurt. All of this is real.”
Confident about where she has reached and what she is doing, Kavita is modest when she says: “I feel proud that I am able to motivate girls to get into this field where Indian women have not ventured at all. It is heartening to see that girls are getting inspired by me.”
(The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at [email protected] )
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.